Radio control panel



April 9, 1935.

.1.t Q. GAUBERT RAIo CONTROL PANEL Filed Jan. 15, 1931 f w a EEN; my@ J uw WIIJ w Patented Apr. 9, 1935 UNITED YSTATES PATENT OFFICE RADIO CONTROL PANEL Delaware ApplicationJanuary 15, 1931, Serial No. 508,888

2 Claims.

'This invention relates to radio cabinets, and is particularly concerned with a control panel associated with the same, one of the objects being to provide a radio control panel that can be fabricated from sheet metal, or other material of similar workable character, that can be finished and decorated to correspond or be in harmony with the finish of the cabinet itself.

A further object of the invention is to provide a control panel` of integral formation that replaces the front member of a radio cabinet, and is formed to provide inspection apertures with suitable trimmings therefor without the use of a separate escutcheon plate.

A further object of the invention is to provide a front member for a radio cabinet, with suitable recesses for the disposition of the control elements or manuals and similar appurtenances, whereby the same will be protected against damage or fracture, as in packing or moving.

A further object is to provide a radio cabinet member that may be formed by suitable punch and die mechanism.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred embodiment of one form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a view illustrative of a portion of the radio cabinet showing one adaptation of the instant invention.

Fig. 2 is a View in vertical section of the same, substantially as indicated by the line and arrows 2-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a similar sectional View of a modied form.

Referring particularly to the drawing, 26 indicates a fragment of the front member of a radio cabinet that is usually composed of wood paneling as indicated by the graining 2l though it may be a metal product or other pressed member as will presently appear. The wood front member 20 is apertured as at 22 and there lined with a molding 23 that defines the area of a control panel 24 that may form a part of the radio instrument or shielding thereof. Where the radio cabinet member 20 is of wooden structure, the control panel 24 is secured thereon by screws 25 as is illustrated in Fig. 2, it being preferred to mount the control panel on the inner surface of the cabinet 20 as is illustrated, so as to present the control panel 24 in parallelism with but in (Cl. Z50-14) offset relation With respect to the surface of the front member 2li, all for a purpose as will presently appear. The control panel 24 is preferably of pressed metal formation, but in fact may be of any other material susceptible to similar methods of fabrication, but in all events is provided with windows or inspection apertures 2'6 and 2 through which scales 28 and 29 may be observed. About the inspection apertures 2B and 2l the body of the plate 24 is raised or pressed outwardly to form a molding or rib 3i) and 3l about the aperture 25, and 2l. The control panel 24 also carries other apertures to accommodate the control members 32, 33, 34, and 35.

The front member of the cabinet need not necessarily be of a wooden front member 2G, but may be supplanted in whole or in part by a metal front member, or another of similar character of formation. Then the construction conforms to that illustrated in Fig. 3, where there is illustrated a front member and a control panel of integral formation fabricated from the preferred material, in the illustrated embodiment, sheet metal. The cabinet member thus constructed comprises a front member 20a that is thence embossed or provided with a raised molding at 23a within which it is depressed into the control panel 26a and thence otherwise formed as in the disclosure of Fig. 2. Here also, as in the preceding form, the front member may constitute a portion of the instrument shielding, or if preferred it may constitute a separate panel member therefrom.

The control panel 24 is preferably nished in a character to harmonize with, and in fact simulate, the nish of the cabinet member 2i). This is done as is illustrated by toning and graining the finish of the panel 24 with appropriate graining as indicated at 40 and 4I to carry out the texture appearance of the graining 2l of the front member 20. The graining effect 40 and 4I is carried out over the major portion of the panel 24, while the moldings or embossed portions 30 and 3l are appropriately finished to represent metallic escutcheon plates about the openings or windows 2 and 2l. If preferred, as is sometimes done, the embossed portions 33 and 3l are grained in imitation of raised Wood moldings, and toned to carry out the color scheine of the cabinet finish. As for the form illustrated in Fig. 3, the same principle is there applied even to the molding 23a, which is preferably finished in accordance with other trimmings about the cabinet. l

By depressing the control panel 24 below the surface of the front member 2li or 20a, as the case may be, a recess or depression is thereby provided within which the control elements 32, 33,

34 and 35, with such appurtenances as the con- Y Vtrol panel may carry, are disposed. The front provide buffers and pads between the cabinet and the packing case and carton, in order to protect the control members. The control members lie Wholly inside the surface contour ofY the cabinet and are thereby automatically protected when the same is enclosed withinits packing case.

Aside from appearanceand structural qualifications, a cabinet element of the form described makes it possible for speedier production or manufacture, and amounts to considerable saving in cost in that the front member can be turned out on high speed production methods with comparatively few operations, and when finished to match the tone and texture of the remainingvv portion of the cabinet, is much to be desired. A front member of this type lends itself readily to formations by the punch and die method, that makesfor accurate construction in vast quantities. l v

' While the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a radio receiver the combination with the case thereof having an aperture of a controller panel mounted behind said aperture, said panel being an integral member pierced to provide inspection and control apertures, the portions of said member surrounding the inspection apertures being embossed to provide bezels, and said inspection apertures being in vertical alignment Vand a molding strip engaging the bounding surface of said aperture and provided with an extension portion engaging the front surface of said case and overlying and concealing the front bounding edge of said aperture.

2. In a radio receiver having an enclosing case, the combination comprising, a substantially vertical front member having an aperture thereinV and providing a control panel offset from the surface o f said front memberand mounted behind said aperture, the'body ofsaid control panel being apertured to provide scale windows and for the passage of control shafts, moldingsV about said scale windows embossed to'provide bezels, control knobs carried by the said shafts and being wholly contained between the control panel and the surface of said front member anda molding strip engaging the bounding surface of said aperture and overlying a portion of the adjacent front surface of said front member.

JOHN Q. GAUBERT. 

